United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The United Nations Prizes in the Field of Human Rights are special awards. The United Nations General Assembly created them in 1966. These prizes honor people and groups who have done amazing work. They help make sure everyone has their human rights. These rights are listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other UN agreements.

The UN first gave out these awards on December 10, 1968. This was the 20th birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This day is now known as Human Rights Day. Since then, the prizes have been given out every five years, except for 1983. They go to individuals, groups, and organizations. By December 2018, 64 awards had been given. Nine of these were given to people after they had passed away. Four of these people were even murdered because they fought for human rights.

A special group chooses the winners. This group includes the leaders of the UN General Assembly and the UN Economic and Social Council. It also includes the head of the United Nations Human Rights Council. This council replaced an older one in 2006. The chairs of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and a UN Human Rights Council committee are also part of the group. Since 1998, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights announces the winners.

The award itself is a metal plaque. It has the UN symbol and an artistic design. It also has a message engraved on it. Unlike the Nobel Prize, these UN awards do not come with money.

Who Won the First UN Human Rights Prize?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1973?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1978?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1988?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1993?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1998?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2003?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2008?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2013?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2018?
Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2023?
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Who Won the First UN Human Rights Prize?

The first awards were given in December 1968. This was the 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Manuel Bianchi [es], who led the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (from Chile)
René Cassin, a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (from France)
Albert Luthuli (after he passed away), president of the African National Congress (from South Africa)
Mehrangiz Manouchehrian, a lawyer and senator (from Iran)
Petr Emelyanovich Nedbailo [de], a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (from Ukraine)
Eleanor Roosevelt (after she passed away), who led the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (from the United States)

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1973?

The second awards were given in December 1973. This was the 25th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Taha Hussein (after he passed away), a literature professor (from Egypt)
C. Wilfred Jenks (after he passed away), director-general of the International Labour Office (from the United Kingdom)
María Lavalle Urbina, a lawyer and teacher (from Mexico)
Abel Muzorewa, president of the United African National Council (from Rhodesia)
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, a prime minister (from Mauritius)
U Thant, the UN secretary-general (from Burma)

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1978?

The third awards were given in December 1978. This was the 30th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Begum Ra'Ana Liaquat Ali Khan, who worked to help women in society, education, and culture (from Pakistan)
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, who was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (from Iran)
Martin Luther King Jr. (after he passed away), a leader of the American civil rights movement (from the United States)
Helen Suzman, an activist and politician who fought against apartheid (from South Africa)
International Committee of the Red Cross
Amnesty International
Vicariate of Solidarity (from Chile)
National Union of Tunisian Women (from Tunisia)

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1988?

The fourth awards were given in December 1988. This was the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Baba Amte, a human rights lawyer (from India)
John Peters Humphrey, who helped write the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (from Canada)
Adam Lopatka [pl], president of the Supreme Court (from Poland)
Leonidas Proaño, a Roman Catholic bishop (from Ecuador)
Nelson Mandela, a lawyer and statesman (from South Africa)
Winnie Mandela, a medical social worker (from South Africa)

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1993?

The fifth awards were given in December 1993. This was the 45th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Hassib Ben Ammar, president of the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Arab Organization for Human Rights (from Tunisia)
Erica-Irene Daes, who led the UN's group on Indigenous Populations (from Greece)
James P. Grant, executive director of UNICEF (from the United States)
International Commission of Jurists (based in Geneva)
Medical staff of the Central Hospital of Sarajevo
Sonia Picado Sotela, vice-president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (from Costa Rica)
Ganesh Man Singh, a leader of Nepal
Sudanese Women's Union (from Sudan)
Julio Tumiri Javier, who started the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights (from Bolivia)

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 1998?

The sixth awards were given in December 1998. This was the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Sunila Abeysekera, executive director of INFORM (from Sri Lanka)
Angelina Acheng Atyam, who started the Concerned Parents Association (from Uganda)
Jimmy Carter, a statesman and former president (from the United States)
José Gregori, the first Secretary of the National Human Rights Secretariat (from Brazil)
Anna Šabatová, who started Charter 77 (from the Czech Republic)
All human rights defenders, described as "thousands of courageous individuals worldwide"

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2003?

The seventh awards were given in December 2003. This was the 55th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Enriqueta Estela Barnes de Carlotto, president of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo (from Argentina)
Mano River Women's Peace Network (from Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea)
Family Protection Project Management Team (from Jordan)
Deng Pufang, chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation (from the People's Republic of China)
Shulamith Koenig [de], executive director of the People's Movement for Human Rights Education (from the United States)
Sérgio Vieira de Mello (after he passed away), a UN Special Representative who was murdered in Iraq (from Brazil)

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2008?

The eighth awards were given in December 2008. This was the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Louise Arbour, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (from Canada)
Benazir Bhutto (after she passed away), a former prime minister and opposition leader (from Pakistan)
Ramsey Clark, a former Attorney General (from the United States)
Dr. Carolyn Gomes of Jamaicans for Justice
Dr. Denis Mukwege, who helped start the General Referral Hospital of Panzi (from the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Sr. Dorothy Stang (after she passed away), a Roman Catholic nun who was murdered (from Brazil)
Human Rights Watch

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2013?

The ninth awards were given in December 2013. This was the 65th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Biram Dah Abeid, a son of a freed slave who works to end slavery (from Mauritania)
Hiljmnijeta Apuk, who campaigns for the rights of people of short stature (from Kosovo)
Liisa Kauppinen, President Emeritus of the World Federation of the Deaf (from Finland)
Khadija Ryadi, former President of the Morocco Association for Human Rights (from Morocco)
Supreme Court of Justice (from Mexico)
Malala Yousafzai, a schoolgirl shot by the Taliban for going to school (from Pakistan)

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2018?

The tenth awards were given in December 2018. This was the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Asma Jahangir (after she passed away), a human rights lawyer (from Pakistan)
Rebeca Gyumi, an activist for the rights of women and girls (from Tanzania)
Joênia Wapixana, an activist for the rights of indigenous communities (from Brazil)
Front Line Defenders, an organization that helps protect human rights defenders (from Ireland)

Who Won the UN Human Rights Prize in 2023?

The eleventh awards were given in December 2023.

Viasna Human Rights Centre, Belarus
Julienne Lusenge, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, Jordan
Julio Pereyra Sánchez, Uruguay
Global Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements, and Local Communities for the Universal Recognition of the Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment